Saleh & Yemen – one dead, the other devastated by war

Yemen’s bloody war collected another scalp with the assassination of the former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who had deserted his erstwhile allies the rebel Iran-supported Shia Houthis to try to broker a deal with Saudi Arabia. He won’t be personally much mourned, since he was disliked by many of his countrymen during his 30 year nepotistic reign which earned him the nickname of ‘Little Saddam’. A tribal leader said of him: “He never had any sort of strategic thinking or vision — his strategy was to remain in power . . . his cleverness was to make the tribes always need him, to make them fight each other, so that they would need his weapons.”

Saleh, born 21 March 1942, was either Sun Pisces or Aries, trine Pluto and opposition Neptune – so a tinge of megalomania from Neptune Pluto; with his Pluto in a ruthless sextile to Mars; and opportunistic Mars Jupiter; and an obdurate Uranus Saturn Moon in Taurus.

He once said that ruling Yemen was like “dancing on the heads of snakes” and it has had centuries’ long history of internal fighting and occupation. Modern dates are variable, since the country continually split into north and south before coming together. But there are two charts from 27 September 1962 and 22 May 1990.

Both charts are relatively similar so the dates look reasonably sound. Both have an Air Sun trine Saturn; both have Jupiter opposition Uranus – on one case with Uranus conjunct Pluto and the other Uranus conjunct Neptune; both have Mars in a Water sign in last decan. The 1962 chart looks violent and destructive in 2018/19 with tr Pluto opposition Mars and square Mercury. The 1990 Republic chart stores up most trouble post 2020 to 2023 with tr Pluto in risky sextile to Mars and then a great-hardship conjunction to Saturn.

So nothing that looks like bringing much hope to the poor population ravaged by cholera, starvation and war.